Crossing Paths
by Nekocin
Summary: Post SS, mild HyogaShun, oneshot Snapshots of Shun behind the scenes when he suddenly notices the differences between his feelings for his brother and his feelings for Hyoga.


**Title: **Crossing Paths  
**Author:** Nekocin  
**Type: **One-shot, AU-ish, behind the scenes  
**Genres:** General, Angst, mild Romance  
**Warnings:** (possible) Out of Character, might be cliché, slightly weird, some spoilers to those who hasn't watched the first series.  
**Pairings:** Mild HyogaShun  
**Rated:** PG  
**Additional notes:** Mild shounen ai, Shun's PoV (3rd person, mind you) which makes things a bit confusing, snapshots.  
**Disclaimer: **I'm not the creator of Saint Seiya. 'nough said.  
**Author's notes: See end.**_  
_  
**I  
**  
Turn on the water tap. Sop the sponge. Wash the plate. Rub it with the sponge while dunking it in a tile of soap. Re-wash the plate.

He didn't actually need to wash the plates for Miss Kido has servants enough to do them.  
It's just that he wanted to make himself useful in the household, while waiting for incoming information about 'nii-san's whereabouts, his next move.

He sighed and mumbled a sad 'nii-san' under his breath.

"Hey, need any help?"

He stiffened instantly and looked over his shoulder in surprise. There, standing at the kitchen's entrance was a bored-looking Hyoga-kun.

"Hyoga-kun-," he smiled politely and graciously shook his head. "No, thank you for offering. But I can do them myself,"

Hyoga-kun made a funny face as if grimacing and then looked determinedly back at him.  
"Come on, Shun! Give me something to do! The tension is killing me," The sheer intensity of Hyoga-kun's scary, flaring ice-blue gaze flustered him.

"Ah-all right. You-you can dry the plates!" He shot out immediately.

Sigh. He actually understood what Hyoga-kun was trying to do. The tension was killing him—all four of them. It explained why he was considering doing the dishes to keep himself busy.

Funny—It'sfunny he would think of this as an understanding. Hyoga-kun hadn't been really a pleasant person when he came back after 6 years: he was bitter and a tidbit cold towards him—everyone.

Hyoga-kun tackled the appointed task without a complaint, reaching for a towel and then started drying the plates automatically.

"Thank you for understanding" Hyoga-kun's quiet murmur reached his ears, as he was about to clean off the soap from the last plate. He paused for a second and then nodded politely to indicate he had heard.

"Any time,"

* * *

**II  
**  
While anticipating Shiryu-kun's return with the—assuming they would be—repaired Cloths, he thought of the fight he'd almost had with the Dark Cygnus Saint, that same afternoon.

He could not accept that 'nii-san was evil—their enemy, his enemy. Dark Cygnus was lying; he must have brainwashed 'nii-san.

The temperature dropped abruptly. He shivered unconsciously and hunched in his seat. It's cold.

He suddenly felt something warm and thick being draped over his shoulders and sat up tensely.

"It's already midnight, you should be sleeping now,"

An absent smile touched his lips as he recognized the soft voice as Hyoga-kun's. The irony of his situation amused him to no end.

"The same thing applies to you too, Hyoga-kun,"

A weight eased down next to him, clearly indicating that the Cygnus Saint had considered accompanying him on the sofa. But neither one of them wanted to hold a conversation—silence was the best thing.

Shun looked up curiously at the silent Hyoga-kun. A troubled look marred the other's forehead, as Hyoga-kun seemed to be fighting an inner battle. He must be missing his mother.

Shun dropped his eyes sadly and fingered the soft blanket with nervous, cold fingers.

"Thank you for your company. You and I should be getting some sleep tonight, so—I'll see you tomorrow. Good night," He spoke up hastily and stood out, ready to head out of the room. Hyoga-kun didn't seem to have heard him.

Upon turning round the corner of the corridor, he paused in mid-step and looked over his shoulder curiously at Hyoga-kun-

The sight had surprised him because the other Saint was slowly crumbling in front of him.

* * *

**III  
**  
"I just saw another booth where we can get some skinned milk and eggs. Before we head there we should consider buying some vegetables first-,"

It's one of those days again hen Shun would take over someone else's chores again. However not out of boredom thought, he was buying some food supply in case Miss Kido's secret cabin did not have a fully stocked storage room yet.

Seiya-kun had pointed out that he was taking the role of a willing volunteer much to seriously that some day his kindness would become his death instead. But Seiya-kun understood that after 'nii-san's death Shun had to do something useful—by protecting Miss Kido and the Sagittarius Cloth with all his strength.

Shiryu-kun had commented that as long as Shun could take all his opponents even with his kindness intact, he would have made such a compatible opponent. Shiryu-kun understood him so easily that he didn't mind it one bit for Shun to be running errands in the open where enemies could easily attack him.

Hyoga-kun, however, didn't think he could take of himself after losing a love one-'nii-san-, and continued to hover behind him like a worried mother who was seeing her child off on his first day to school. It explained why Hyoga-kun was following him to the market and helping him carry the bags.

"Buy some champagne too," Hyoga-kun suggested suddenly out of the blue.

Shun made a face as to why champagne was needed—

"Miss Kido seems to be fond of champagne if you must know," Hyoga-kun pointed out as if it was so obvious. With a quick visible smirk on his face he brushed past Shun's shoulder, barely missing and strolled towards a small shop.

The smirk had befuddled him—even the strange teasing glint in Hyoga-kun's eyes worried him. Whatever Hyoga-kun was thinking of, it was probably—not very nice.

He suddenly noticed Hyoga-kun was a few feet away from him. "Ah! Hey, w-wait up, Hyoga-kun!"

* * *

**IV  
**  
Everyone was feeling down. The Golden Cloth wasn't in their possession anymore. Miss Kido was disappointed but she had wished their situation for the best and permitted them to rest.

But no matter how exhausted Shun felt, he couldn't cast his worries away without thinking about their situation over and over again. Re-thinking everything made his head spin with molded thoughts—thoughts that were awful to even think about.

His line of vision spun suddenly, forcing his weak stomach to make flip-flops. Clearly in pain, he closed his eyes and breathed in as much air he could take. So suffocating. The sea air might help him recover.

When he got on deck again--it seemed that he wasn't the only one who was having trouble with sleeping. Seiya-kun was having a quiet conversation with Miss Kido, while both Shiryu-kun and Hyoga-kun were standing near the railing, looking over at the ocean's horizon.

"Shun," Shiryu-kun greeted with an acknowledging nod and a small sleepy smile.

"You couldn't sleep either, could you," Hyoga-kun stated with a bland look on his face.

"No—"Shun smiled sadly in answer. "Too many thoughts worrying me,"

Shiryu-kun and Hyoga-kun nodded in understanding, and resumed looking at the ocean's horizon.

Shun chose to stand next to Shiryu-kun and leaned on his elbows over the railing. He watched the small waves of the calming sea's movements and preserved his time to breathe properly, enough to straighten his thoughts.

A companionable silence surrounded them save for the sounds of the ocean and the sounds of the mechanism under their feet. They needed no words to voice why they felt troubled.

"I ought to get some sleep—," Shiryu-kun yawned abruptly. "Good night, Hyoga—Shun,"

"Good night,"

"Good night, Shiryu-kun. See you tomorrow,"

After Shiryu-kun had left, only he and Hyoga-kun remained on deck. Another silence had befallen between them.

"Do you think 'nii-san will come back to me?" The question came out selfishly and too sudden, but he couldn't stop worrying about 'nii-san instead of the Golden Cloth.

"I can't say if he will—But you know him best out of us four-," Hyoga-kun paused uncharacteristically gripping the front of his shirt tightly. "He couldn't be that far from you, could he? Besides—you've already captured him in your heart, he cannot escape without your consent,"

He looked up—surprised and awed—at Hyoga-kun. The thought of 'nii-san never came out so—simple—like that. Not knowing what to say, Shun remained silent.

A small sad smile reached Hyoga-kun's lips as his grip tightened.

"It hurts to even think about it, doesn't it," Hyoga-kun murmured at last and he did something out of character for a Cygnus Saint—he crumbled yet again for the second time. His face would ashen in color and his usual proud posture slumped.

A shaking hand reached out to Shun, who instinctively sandwiched it with both his hands, clearly mistaking the shaking for shivering.

"Your hands are cold," He whispered and a strange sad gleam settled in those ice blue eyes.

Shun struggled to understand what Hyoga-kun's trying to tell him. Before he could grasp the meaning, Hyoga-kun had leaned over to his face and then left abruptly.

Shun felt a strange wet tingling on his cheek, as if having been kissed there—

* * *

**V  
**  
Seiya-kun and 'nii-san had a disagreement—they always seemed to have them—however, unlike the little things they used to argue about, they were having about whether Shiryu-kun's eyes will recover or not.

It was difficult to say so, but in his heart he believed Shiryu-kun could recover. If not, then—Shiryu-kun must have found another way to adapt to his surroundings without his eyes. Both 'nii-san and Seiya-kun avoided each other as they left Miss Kido's mansion, looking upset.

It hadn't taken long for 'nii-san to settle in before he left him abruptly all over again.

"You can have your rest here. But if you must go, please inform me of your absence. I don't want to lose either of you even if you have a small scratch," miss Kido had said almost in her most demanding tone.

He and Hyoga-kun had nodded without question. Whatever inner demons everyone had, they were being driven apart—with one friend going under a major recovery, it seemed as if their fighting spirit had dimmed; like a freshly lit candle.

He found himself staring off in space, thinking about 'nii-san, about Seiya-kun, about Shiryu-kun, about Athena—Why does 'nii-san always leave? Why was Seiya-kun always stubborn? Why hadn't Shiryu-kun contacted them about his state? Why was Miss Kido intimidating and demanding at some point? -

A glass of his favorite orange juice suddenly appeared in his line of view.

He was startled out of his thoughts and looked up at whoever was offering him the glass.

"Orange juice _-is-_ your favorite, is it not?" Hyoga-kun's face softened from the hesitancy he had on his face before handing over the glass to Shun's hands.

"Yes, thank you, Hyoga-kun," he replied politely and sent Hyoga-kun one of his grateful small smiles that were usually reserved for 'nii-san whenever the latter did something sweet.

Hyoga-kun settled down next to him and was having a cup of strong coffee.

"It hadn't been over 5 months or so and I find you looking deliriously at nothing while sitting here, again. Something is bothering you again, isn't it?" Hyoga-kun's voice sounded so inviting—as if he was prepared for whatever story was flung in his way, which did not make any sense at all. Nothing made sense suddenly. Why would Hyoga-kun want to hear about his troubles?

"Is that so?" Shun dodged the question and took a sip from his glass.

"Yes—I've a feeling this is the right time for me to step in,"

He raised his eyebrows inquiringly at Hyoga-kun, who was answering him with one of his earnest looks. Clearly puzzled about Hyoga-kun's strange behavior, Shun decided that perhaps Hyoga-kun was suffering the most among the two. Besides, he had to leave the place where his mother had d-

At last he eased a non-committal smile on his face and looked down at his juice. "Is there something important you want to tell me about?"

Hyoga-kun chuckled ruefully, "All right, you caught me"

"—so, what's bothering you?" He began tentatively as he smoothed a smile on his face.

"Do you love Ikki with all your heart?"

Shun blinked rapidly, looking puzzled all over again.

"—yes. Is it wrong?" Why would it be wrong?

Hyoga-kun shook his head.

"No, no that's not exactly what I've been aiming for-," Hyoga-kun paused as he drank his cup of coffee. "-Doesn't it hurt whenever he leaves you?"

"--Yes, at times. But I'm confident he'll come back to me at some point and everything will be all right—erhm—does that make any sense?"

"Yes, it does. What if-what if he doesn't come back to you? Would it-"  
A pause.  
"-Never mind. I don't even know what I'm trying to say," Hyoga-kun grumbled suddenly and finished his cup instantly. He took one last unreadable glance at the startled Shun with a ghost of a smile on his lips and retreated to his room.

"Good night, Andromeda Shun. May you have pleasant dreams tonight,"

Shun found himself gaping at the retreating Cygnus Saint. Lately, Hyoga-kun's strange behaviors had multiplied whenever he's talking to him.

That night, he'd dreamed pleasantly after having fallen asleep on the sofa. When he woke up, he forgot what happened the night before.

* * *

**VI  
**  
It's truly strange to hold someone close—or maybe 'awkward' was the best word in his case.

Why exactly had Hyoga-kun been confined in a thick, icy coffin? He did not know the answer, but he continued to cling onto the cold body tightly.

_—He wanted—_

Since he'd disregarded most of his Cloth, he felt a bit naked against Hyoga-kun's body. He tried to banish all his thoughts as he intensified his Cosmos, clearly warming up the stiff body as quick as possible.

_—He wanted—_

A waved of something akin of worry settled uncomfortably on his chest--a sense of dread.

What if Hyoga-kun never recovers from his coma state? What if he had been too late to call Hyoga-kun's soul back?

He tightened his hold on the cold body again, entwining his legs with Hyoga-kun's as he tried fending off the cold with full force again.

_—He wanted—_

_—He wanted—_

Warmth coming from another human could usually excite people and make them feel protected. He wanted to protect Hyoga-kun's body.

**_Heat. Heat up. Heat burning his skin. HEAT!  
_**  
It became a bit unbearable—the heat became unbearable. He tightened his hold and pressed his body closer, too intimately.

_—He wanted—_

His head was spinning dizzily, making him feel unwell. Unwell was an understatement as he suddenly noticed the heat of his Cosmos was slowly cutting off his oxygen supply. Too much heat—

-he was choking, panting harshly.

_—He wanted—_  
_  
—He wanted—_

Still unbearable.

He had to breathe. They needed Hyoga-kun; they needed his strength. His determination. His support—

_'nii-san—  
_  
_-'nii-san. _Shun's breath became more harsher.

"'nii-san—I cannot—hold it much—longer," he croaked softly to himself. The limit of his Cosmos was nearing.

Unbearable heat! He was sweating. Exhausted.

"-I'm sorry—'nii-san,"

_—He wanted—_

"-I'm not—strong enough-,"

_—He wanted—_

Even in his hazy mind he could feel Hyoga-kun's cool body twitching, shaking hands reaching out as if wanting to grasp for consciousness.

"-Shun—," Hyoga-kun croaked out softly as heavy-lidded, ice-blue eyes stared back at his. a ready and exhausted smile was already on his face.

"Welcome back—Hyoga,"

The last thing he saw before he slid into unconsciousness, was ice-blue eyes widening in surprise and alarm. _("SHUN!")  
_His twitch of a smile remained on his lips as he felt relief washing over his body.

_He wanted 'nii-san to know that even though he loved him with all his heart, he loved Hyoga-kun as well—only for the latter part, he loved him with the secretive part of his heart. He hadn't realized he'd fallen for Hyoga-kun until it was too late..._

* * *

Soft lips brushed an awkward kiss over the stiff ones.

**OWARI --- END**

TheNekoTalks:  
  
Erhm--what can I say about this story? Nothing much. (I feel awkward just asking myself that) The title is a bit—it didn't quite fit—**:sweatdrops:** And I'm not sure what exactly is Shun's favorite drink, so I'll just assume it's orange juice (because I like it at the moment).  
Since there are so very few stories about this pairing in a language that I can both read and understand (I can read Spanish stories too, but I've a difficult time trying to understand them) I've decided to write one myself. Some parts of this one-shot are a bit irrelevant, but at least--in my opinion--the story looks all right.

This idea came to me when I started brainstorming for another Saint Seiya story (even if it's a one-shot) instead of continuing my other stories. The idea actually went under a lot of revisions and now here's the result. Originally, I wanted to write a fighting scene between Hyoga and Shun--but alas, I didn't really know how to sort my thoughts of an action scene with some slight shounen ai implications, so the story ended up being another one of those behind-the-scenes stories. I still have a fuzzy idea of the chronological order of the first series, but I think somewhere in-between I've swapped the wrong scenes **:sweatdrops:**

On the side note, I had a bit fun writing this one because I wrote this on my free periods at school. I don't think this story is really bad; at least it's a bit longer than my other drabbles when I'm testing the waters of certain series, which actually means that this story is under my okay list.

**Thank you for reading!!! I apologize for the long notes.**

:smiley face:cin


End file.
